Dead Man's Gun
by Trooper 3.6
Summary: Riku finds himself transported to a strange, savage land by an enchanted weapon. He finds this land enveloped in a darkness all it's own, plagued with bandits, rogues, and warmongers. With the help of young man named Jack and a mysterious phantom he will quell the darkness and find a way to return to Radiant Garden.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: Hi everyone, this isn't going to be a very long one. Sorry to keep you all waiting on other projects, but work takes priority. I hope you all enjoy this, please review.

Riku blinked up into the stifling sun, his head felt several sizes too small for his brain. He painfully sat up and examined his surroundings. A desolate desert, brown and rocky. Not a sign of life but the distant wails of wild animals, some kind of dog or wolf creatures, he figured. Where was he? How did he get here? He sure wasn't in Radiant Garden anymore.

He shook his head, trying to focus his mind. He was in Merlin's study, the old mage wanted to teach him more magic. Merlin was prattling on about something or other, Riku had been doing his best to pay attention but the old man's mystic-babel was always hard to follow. A red box on Merlin's desk caught his eye. Curiosity got the better of him and he quietly opened it while Merlin's back was turned. Inside was a pistol, an old revolver, the kind that police back in his world used a long time ago. But what would Merlin want with this? Riku's curiosity only grew as he gingerly pulled the gun from the box to examine it. He paused in wonder at the initials J. M. etched into the grip.

"Riku?" Merlin asked, sensing his pupil's distraction. "NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Before Riku's world exploded in a burst of magic before he could as why not. All went black for a moment, or perhaps hours, and there he was, lying in the dirt in a blazing desert. His ears were still ringing, he barely even heard the hoofs of the approaching horses until the shadows of four mounted figures began to circle him.

The men wore wide-brimmed hats and cackled wickedly. Riku blinked up into their hungry eyes, their smiles looked about as friendly as a shark's. They called to him in a language he'd never heard before. In a moment they called to him in his own language. "Hey there, chico? Or is it chica?" the tallest of them said.

Riku grunted his name as he staggered to his feet, still dazed. "Riku?" the leader repeated. "What are you a China-man or something?"

"Never seen a China-man with such pretty hair!" said another of them, a chorus of laughter followed.

"Never been to China!" Riku snapped. "I don't even know where I am now!" More laughs echoed, Riku was getting tired of their sense of humor.

"Oh, so you a tough-guy, gringo, eh?" the leader chuckled. "Well, gringo, you are on our land you see? And we didn't invite you, so you owe us some money now." Riku rolled his eyes as he reached for his munny pouch, then sighed deeply when he remembered leaving it in his room.

"I don't have any munny," he growled.

"No problemo, amigo!" the leader replied. "You'll just have to pay us back another way. I hear one of the labor camps is shorthanded nearby, the China-men just can't handle a hard day's work. Must be that they're so tiny," he grunted to another round of laughter. "But you seem a ripe, young perro, amigo! And you look at least half Chinese, so you should fit right in! A month's wages should do nicely for us."

"Not happening," Riku growled, realizing the danger he was in. Where ever that weapon had transported him to, he understood why Merlin didn't want him to touch it now. A metallic noise clicked behind him and he turned to see one of the men pointing a pistol at him.

"You are in a position unsuitable to refuse our demands, gringo!" he grunted.

"Don't shoot him, Tuco," the leader snapped. "He needs to work a month to make a month's pay for us." Riku turned to see the leader readying a loop of rope. He instantly snapped into a combat stance and stretched his arm to summon his keyblade.

"Last chance to back down!" Riku growled, fixing the leader with a deathly glare. The kidnapper looked down on him in confusion. Then he realized his keyblade wasn't there. His hand was empty. He tried to summon it again, reaching out to magic with all his might. Then a dizzying exhaustion swept over him, he stumbled and nearly fell. There was not magic! None what so ever!

"I knew it!" the leader laughed. "He is drunk!" the whole gang roared with laughter.

"A bit too much tequila, amigo?" one of them asked. "This will be easier than we thought, Calvera!" The leader began to swing his rope, Riku knew he had to think of something fast. His eyes widened as he remembered the enchanted gun that brought him here. Where was it? He staggered in a circle, tuning out the laughter of the gang as his eyes scanned the dirt for the weapon. There it was!

Riku dove for it and spun up to take aim at the leader, not even wondering if it was loaded. A deafening explosion burst in his ears and a powerful blow knocked him over. Riku was on his back, writhing in crippling pain. His shoulder throbbed and burned with an agony he never thought possible. The bandit beside the leader grinned down at him behind his smoking pistol.

"DAMMIT, VASQUEZ!" the leader roared. "How the hell is he going to work for us now?"

"That's a nice way to thank a man who saved you, Calvera!" the bandit replied. Calvera sighed.

"Good point, amigo. Tu gracius. Well, gringo, now you can't pay us back for trespassing. So there's only one way left for you to pay," Calvera smiled as he took aim. Riku fought the pain and glared into his killer's eyes, determined not to show any weakness.

A gunshot burst and Calvera fell limp from his horse. The rest of his gang reeled in surprise and turned to the new arrival, only to be gunned down in seconds. The four horses bolted away and the hoofs of a single rider stomped up. Riku felt himself fading, his world seemed to be growing dimmer, but the sun was high at noon. Soon the heavy steps of booted feet approached and Riku looked up into the concerned eyes of a young man, not much older than him. He wore a brown duster and a hat, not as wide-brimmed as the bandits, with a small feather stuck in it. His face was young, but mature, with a mustache and goatee.

"Are you alright there, son?" he asked. Riku tried to answer, but only managed a gasp. Before blacking out, Riku was certain he saw another man standing behind his rescuer. A man with a thin beard, two scars on his right cheek, and an identical hat to the one the younger one was wearing…

…

Riku awoke in a soft bed. For a moment he thought it had all been a dream, then he shifted in bed and a bolt of pain rippled through his right arms. An agonized moan escaped his lips. It wasn't a dream. A door opened and the gentle light of a candle came in, behind it were the gentle, brown eyes of a young woman who looked about his own age. She had black hair and a dark skin tone, wore a plain white dress, but was so beautiful he might have mistaken her for a princess.

"Are you alright, senor? The woman asked.

"I'll admit that I've been better," Riku moaned. "But believe it or not, I've been through worse." The woman, huffed a short laugh and shook her head.

"You gringos are all the same. So brash, so determined to prove you're brave. It was just like my husband to risk his life for you," she finished with a sigh as she put the candle down on a night stand by the bed.

Riku sat up and winced in pain. He bit back another moan and looked into the concerned eyes of his nurse. He could tell from her accent and skin tone she was of the same people as the bandits, but he saw none of the cruelty and malice in her eyes. "Who are you? Where am I?" Riku asked.

"I am Miranda Marston," she answered. "My husband, Jack, brought you here. This is our farm, Campo Mirada. We haven't much to offer you, but if you are willing to work once you've healed, you are welcome to stay as long as you like."

Riku blinked. Jack must have been the young man who came to his aid with the old man. "What world am I in?" he asked. Miranda blinked, as if he'd said something outlandish.

"You're in Mexico, if that's what you mean. Really not much different from America, but different enough to a gringo boy, I suppose."

"I'm not from America!" Riku snapped as the pain struck again. "And I don't even know what a gringo is! I need to get home!" he speech slurred into agonized moans as the pain intensified. Miranda reached out gently laid him back down.

"Enough talk, chico," she gently, but with the authority of a mother. "You need to rest now," she said. The candle seemed to flicker and the older man with the scars flickered into existence behind Miranda.

"Don't worry, Riku," the older man said with a grizzled voice. "Just do as she says and get some rest. I'll make sure you get home. But I need something from you first," he finished as the darkness engulfed Riku again.

An intense heat beamed down on Riku's face and he awoke with the sun shining through the cracked shutters of the window. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light and scanned his surroundings. He was in house with mud walls, in a small room, laying in a bed meant for two. He sighed knowing his rescuers had given up their bed for him. He stood up from the bed as carefully as he could and looked at the bandage wrapped around his arm, it looked fresh, like it was changed recently. The pain was still there, but manageable. His shirt was gone but his jeans were still on and his shoes were placed at the foot of the bed. A plain shirt was draped over the chair where Miranda had sat. It looked home-made. Promising himself he'd repay them any way they asked, he put the shirt on and stepped into his shoes before exiting the room.

The door opened into a larger room; a kitchen, a wooden table, and a sofa in front of the front door. A humble, two roomed adobe house, like ones in smaller countries in Riku's world. Miranda was stirring something in a pot in the fireplace. She turned to him as he exited the bedroom. "Buenos dias!" she said with a smile. "You're awake! Come and eat." She retrieved a wooden bowl from a cupboard, ladled the contents of the pot into it and set it on the table with a wooden spoon for him. Riku thanked her as he sat down and suddenly realized he was famished. It was some kind of beef stew, hot and spicy, but delicious. He knew the spice would have been too much for Sora, which prompted the first smile he'd made since arriving in this world.

"Glad you like it," said Miranda. She put a mug down beside him. "Coffee. It's gotten cold, but it looks like you need it. Riku smiled and thanked her again as sweat dripped down his reddened face. The stew was delicious, but hotter even than he was used to. The coffee had indeed gotten cold, the bitterness of the black liquid made him want to gag, but he chocked it back and forced a smile. He knew he was living on charity, beggars couldn't be choosers, he refused to let himself even ask for sugar. His rescuers clearly didn't have many luxuries.

Miranda giggled. "A gringo boy who drinks coffee with a smile! You don't see that every day!" Riku managed a laugh of his own. His face now reddened by blush as well as spice. The front door opened and Jack stepped inside, placing a rifle against the wall as he came in.

"Well, the prodigal son returns to the world of the living!" he smiled at Riku.

"And with an appetite!" Miranda giggled down at Riku's empty bowl.

"Again, thank you both, so much!" Riku said. "If there's anything I can do for you…"

"Well, now that you mention it," Jack broke in. "I've got some light work that another hand could make even lighter. I know your arm is still hurting, but the way I see it, three days of sleep ought to be enough for even a hurt man to need a stretch of the muscles."

Riku's eyes bulged like they would fly from his skull. "THREE DAYS!" he gasped, to Jack's visible amusement.

"Yep, three days of lying in bed whilst another man's wife took care of you," Jack went on with a laugh. Riku blushed brighter than ever.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Oh don't you know when someone's pulling your leg!" Jack laughed again. Riku sighed and chuckled at himself. Jack reminded him a little of Sora.

"Still, I'm sorry I took your bed away from both of you for so long," Riku said as he stood up. Miranda fetched the bowl and spoon and carried them to the wash basin. Jack giggled as he crept up behind her.

"Oh don't you worry, son. The couch wasn't as comfy as the bed, but the two of us managed just famously on it!" he finished with swift smack at Miranda's backside. She jolted up in shock and spun around to slap her husband, who caught her hand just in time before planting a kiss on her scowling lips.

"IDIOTA!" Miranda spat. "We have company!" she nodded to Riku, who stood staring wide-eyed, his face redder than ever.

"Let him get his own wife!" Jack laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. She squirmed and struggled for freedom. "I'm surprised you didn't wake up sooner, I mean all the noise we've been making these past few nights is like to have woken the dead!" Miranda's eyes grew darker than ever.

"How about an early supper?" she hissed. "There are two huevos here I could crack and fry right here and now!" Jack shifted his weight and lunged away just in time to avoid her knee between his legs.

"Well come on, son," he laughed. "There's work to be done and the Mrs. Marston here needs some time to cool that Latin fieriness of hers," he finished with a wink as he rushed out the door, narrowly evading a frying pan flying after him.

"IDIOTA!" Miranda screamed. Riku stood petrified, as she hung her head in a deep sigh. But in a few seconds he saw her trembling with giggles, the redness of her own face seemed less angry now. "I'm sorry you had to see that, chico!" she said. "But you better go out and help him, it probably won't be anything you can't handle. HE HARDLY EVER DOES ANY WORK AROUND HERE ANYWAY!" She shouted loud enough to be heard a mile away.

Riku bowed with an awkward smile before striding toward the door, trying hard not to let his urgency be shown. "Oh and take the sombrero, the sun will roast you like that PIG HUSBAND OF MINE!" She finished roaring. Riku timidly grabbed the wide-brimmed straw hat from a peg on the wall as he carefully stepped out into the sun.

Jack stood waiting with his arms crossed. "If you're done enjoying out hospitality, there's coconuts to harvest," he said, grabbing a very long wooden pole. "This way, son," he started walking around to the back of the house.

"Riku!" Jack paused to look back at him with a raised eyebrow. "My name is Riku." Jack looked thoughtfully, then shrugged and resumed walking.

Alight then, Riku, where are you from?" Jack asked as he led Riku behind the house, where several palm trees stood tall. A sheer cliff loomed over the property, about a hundred yards from the house. Riku knew better than to tell the whole truth. This world had not a drop of magic in it. They probably had no idea there were other worlds out there. Most people back in his own world wouldn't have believed it either. If he told Jack everything, he'd either think he was lying or stark raving mad. Riku had read history books in his own world about insane asylums in the past, and this world was clearly a century or so behind his own, he didn't even want to imagine what a mad house in this world was like.

"I'm from Radiant Garden, a city in the mountains up north," Riku blurted out. It was true enough. This place was definitely further south than Radiant Garden, it was NEVER this hot there!

"Never heard of it," Jack shrugged, but then geography was never my strong suit. "Well, how'd you end up down here, south of the border?" Riku resisted the urge to ask what border.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Marston," he answered. "I was in my teacher's study, he was teaching me about…science and I just found myself laying in the dirt right before those men attacked me." Jack stopped and turned to look at him quizzically.

"You have no idea how you got there?" he asked.

Riku shrugged. "I've been going over it again and again in my mind since I woke up, sir. I don't know." Jack grimaced, but nodded his head.

"Well, Riku, if you are liar, you're one that deserves a reward!" he huffed a laugh. "I've heard of injuries messing up a man's head before though. Just give it time and I'm sure your memories will come back on their own. Until then, time to earn your keep." Jack stopped at the foot of a palm tree, a large wooden barrel sat at the foot of it. "I'll take care of knocking the suckers down, you just pick them up and put them in the barrel, and when it's full we'll care it to the cart around the front," he explained. Riku nodded. Jack hefted the pole and began poking at the coconuts. "And if one of them breaks in the fall, don't worry, in fact help yourself. To the victors go the spoils," he finished with a mighty thrust.

A large coconut fell toward the stony earth below. Riku's reflexes kicked in and in second he had caught the coconut with his uninjured left hand. Jack dropped the pole in surprise and stared with bulging eyes at boy's feat of speed and strength. Riku shrugged. "What? You thought us city boys were weaklings?" he asked as he gently placed the coconut in the barrel.

Jack shoot the shock from his face and retrieved the pole. "Well I stand corrected, Riku," he said with a blinding smile. And so they got back to work. Jack went on prodding and Riku went on catching. To Jack's surprise, Riku caught every one of them. Not a single one broke on the rocky ground, which it turns out was Jacks favorite excuse for dipping into the product. Part of what Miranda meant about him not doing enough work. Eventually the heat became unbearable to both of them and Jack cracked two coconuts open for himself and Riku. They were delicious.

"This here, orchard is our primary sustenance," Jack explained. "If you can call it an orchard." Riku laughed, orchards were rows upon rows of planted trees. Jack's hilly estate seemed to have several palm trees littered thorough out, not by any design or plowing. The stony ground looked impossible to plow anyway. "We occasionally plant some wheat, corn, and tobacco. Sometimes it takes, sometimes it doesn't, but we seem to have the palm trees whittled down to a science. And my pa taught me how to hunt, so we manage well enough like this."

"You're father?" Riku asked. "Is that the man who was with you when you found me?" Jack stopped and turned to him. His face was twisted in confusion.

"What man?" he asked.

"The man who was with you when you found me," Riku explained. "He had a hat like yours and a beard." Jack's eyes seemed to widen for a moment, as if coming to some bizarre realization. Then his friendly smile returned and he shook his head.

"I think that wound scrambled your mind worse than we thought. No one was with me when I found you," Jack took a few steps closer to him and pulled a familiar weapon out of his duster. "I picked this up where you dropped it," he said holding out the pistol from Merlin's desk. "Where did you get this?"

"My teacher had it," Riku said carefully. "He told me not to touch it, but I did, and that's all I remember before waking up in the desert." Jack's eyes narrowed at his story but Riku was pretty sure he believed him. He'd mixed in as much truth as he dared.

"Well, I suppose we'll be getting the full story once your memories come back," he said with a sigh. "This here belonged to my father," Riku blinked in surprise. "He died some years back, I always figured one of the men who killed him looted this off him. Could be that they pawned it off and somehow it ended up in your professor's hands."

Riku swallowed hard and hung his head in sorrow. "I'm sorry about your loss," he said.

Jack looked up sadly. "Nothing for you to be sorry for, Riku. Like I said, it was some years ago. Anyway, you best take it back," Jack said as he held the grip out to Riku. "You're likely to need it out here."

Riku gingerly accepted the weapon. "I've never actually fired one of these before," he admitted sullenly. Jack smiled again.

"No worries, let's take a break and practice a little." Riku smirked, almost reminding him they were already on a break. Jack started walking toward the cliff, Riku silently followed. Jack stopped about twenty yards away from the upward slope of the rise and pointed to two small cacti at the base of the slope.

"I already checked it, the pistol is loaded. Let's see you shoot the cactus on the left there," he said. Riku clasped the pistol in his good hand without confidence and took aim. He pulled the trigger and gasped in shock that it didn't fire. Jack let out a yelp of laughter. "You might want to cock it first!" Riku was grateful for the heat, it helped cover his blush. Having seen enough of it in movies, he quickly thumbed the hammer, aimed and pulled. The shot made his ears ring and the kick of the gun almost made him stumble. The bullet hit the slope high above the cactus.

"Try squeezing the trigger, not jerking it," Jack instructed. "And open up your stance a little bit, like that fighting stance you took earlier while catching them coconuts. And don't be in a rush to fire the gun, this is only practice, not a gunfight. Take your time, let the shot surprise you." Riku obeyed his instructor and his next shot struck the cactus, dead center. Jack gave a mild applause. Riku did it again, then three times more, then grimaced as the pistol clicked dry.

"That's a six shooter, Riku," Jack said with a laugh. "Losing count of your bullets in a real fight could mean your life. But you seem to be a natural!" Riku smiled.

"I'm not even left handed!" His smile disappeared in surprise as Jack instantly drew and unloaded all eight shots of his pistol into the right cactus in quick succession. The cactus was blown to pieces.

"Mine is an automatic, 1911 model," Jack explained as he ejected the empty clip from the bottom of the gun and replaced it with a full one. "But pretty soon you might be able to shoot that fast if you learn how to work the hammer on that with your other hand. Might want to let it heal more first though." Jack went on to show Riku how to reload and clean the pistol. Moments later, Miranda came stomping up to demand an explanation for the rukus.

"Just teaching our new farm-hand how to handle a weapon, woman!" Jack shrugged. "It's dangerous enough out here with you around! Wolves, coyotes, and banditos, make life unlivable without one of those. See there's a reason why my homeland make it a constitutional right!" Miranda rolled her eyes.

"Too bad they took their time making slavery an UN-constitutional right!" she snapped. Now it was Jack's turn to roll his eyes.

"Alright there, darling," he huffed. "No need to make it personal. You done a mighty fine job fixing him up. Been a big help with the coconuts, caught every one of them! Not a single one broken!" Miranda's eyes widened!

"You caught them from way up there!" she flung her finger up to the tree tops. Jack and Riku both nodded. "IDIOTA! You could hurt yourself! Men have been crushed to death like that!"

"Oh don't hen-peck the boy," Jack cut her off. "He's a tough one! And he's been pulling his weight. Just a few more trees ready to harvest and then we'll load up the cart and be off to market."

Miranda sighed and stomped off with a muttered curse Riku couldn't understand. "You have supper ready for us when we get back, woman!" Jack called after her. She turned to grunt back another curse Riku had never heard. "We'll have the bed back for that tonight, don't you worry!" Jack laughed.

"IDIOTA!" Miranda roared as she disappeared around the house. Jack loosed a roar of laughter. Riku faintly laughed along with him, not entirely sure what was said, but knowing exactly what was meant. Jack holstered his gun, Riku slipped his into his belt and they both went back to work. Riku continued to wow Jack with his acrobatic ability, especially with only one hand. Soon the barrel was almost overfilled and Jack nodded with satisfaction at a job well done. He unslung his canteen and took a deep draw from it. He then handed it to Riku, who did the same.

The sun was leaning to the west, still some time till evening, but afternoon was about over. "We better get a move on if we're gonna sell this product to the general store at Chuparosa," Jack said as he moved to the opposite side of the barrel. On the count of three they both lifted their side and began the laborious hull to the front of the house, where a small wagon waited. By the time they'd reached the wagon and hefted the barrel up onto it, they both looked like they had done another full day's work. Both men's clothes were soaked dark with sweat.

The two exhausted farmers climbed aboard the wagon and with a crack of the reigns, the two horse set off down the road. The wind blew mercifully in their faces and they caught their breath in silence for a while. Riku spotted the sign posts on the road and knew they were heading the right way. "One more thing, Riku," Jack broke the silence. Riku turned his head to him in question. "That man you said you saw with me, with the same hat and a beard, did he have two scars on his right cheek?" Riku blinked as he thought back.

"I think so," he said. Jack kept his eyes forward, but Riku could tell his eyes were wondering far beyond the road in front of them.

"No, it can't be," Jack murmured. "Never mind, forget I asked," he huffed shaking his head. Riku nodded and turned back to the road. Had he really seen another man? Maybe he imagined it. Then he remembered seeing the same man in the bedroom behind Miranda and what he'd said to him. And that question about the scars… It was Jack's father's gun, a dead man's gun… Had he seen a ghost?

The thought of it sent chills down Riku's spine. He had seen, fought, and defeated much worse, but this was different. Soon the walled town came into view, Riku shook the questions from his head. Something told him it wouldn't be long before he saw the bearded man again, and maybe then he'd get some answers.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had nearly set by the time they left the village of Chuparosa. They managed to sell all twenty coconuts for a dollar each; far more than Jack was usually able to harvest and carry alone. To celebrate, Jack led Riku into the local saloon and ordered him his first sip of hard liquor. Riku was nervous, he had heard it didn't taste very good and that it messed with your head. Jack only smiled as he slapped two coins down on the bar.

"Hell, tequila is a safer bet than most of the water in these parts! A young man in this world ain't gonna make it through life if he don't have the stomach for a single drink!" The barkeep quickly poured two shots of tequila, for which Jack nodded and huffed "gracius," before holding up his shot. "To a hard day's work and the fruits of our labor!" he cheered.

Riku smiled awkwardly as he hesitantly lifted the shot glass and gently tapped it against Jack's. He watched in amazement as Jack instantly downed the liquid and slammed it down on bar. Riku thought it best to follow his example, quickly gulping down the clear fluid. His hand and the glass struck the bar so hard he worried the glass might have shattered. It felt like he'd swallowed liquid fire as a hammer came down on his head!

The sombrero nearly fell off his head as he grappled the bar for balance. The dizziness and dazedness soon lessened and Riku felt a wave of relaxation and calm spread over him as Jack's laughing fit quieted down. "You like?" he asked. Riku felt his face burning with blush as he nodded, barely keeping his balance. "In that case, UNO MOS, for the road!"

The barkeep obediently poured two more shots after accepting two more coins. This time Jack and Riku both raised their glasses in unison. "To new friendships, employment, and the profession of agriculture; the backbone of civilization! Amen!" the glasses tapped and the drinks were downed.

Riku's world began to spin. Unable to keep his balance, he tumbled backwards. His world snapped back into focus as he crashed face first into the prettiest face in all the worlds. His dazed eyes widened as they locked with the blue eyes of the woman he loved. Her crimson hair radiated a light of its' own.

"Kairi!" he gasped. She giggled sweetly in a language he couldn't understand. Their lips inched closer. A pair of strong hands dug into his shoulders, flipped him upwards and tossed him down flat on his back. Riku shook his head and his vision was suddenly clearer.

"Dummer Amerikaner!" a vicious voice snapped. Riku looked up into the sneering face of a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, though his lacked the kindness and sweetness of Kairi's. He wore a grey military uniform of some kind. His lighter complexion and accent told Riku he wasn't a native.

A pretty face with slightly reddish hair and brown eyes emerged from the floor and looked down at Riku with concern. He knew in an instant what had happened; he mistook her for Kairi. The soldier in grey hissed again and raised his booted foot to bring it down on Riku's face.

The leather sole struck the floorboards with a mighty thud, Riku narrowly evaded the stomp. In a swift upward motion he brought his fist up hard between the soldier's legs, sending him to his knees as Riku shot up into a combat stance. Several guttural shouts went up and at least a dozen more grey soldiers leapt from their bar stools and tables. Some reached for weapons, other fixed Riku with deathly glares.

"Achtung!" one of them shouted and they all stiffened to attention, though their faces didn't soften. One stood up and dawned a spiked helmet. His uniform was decorated with many colorful ribbons and shiny metal pins. He had a very thick and well waxed mustache, which twitched as his face contorted in anger with every step toward Riku.

The soldier who'd attacked Riku painfully climbed to his feet and sneered like a vexed tiger. Jack stepped calmly between them and Riku. The officer tried to look down his nose upon Jack, but wasn't tall enough for it to work out well.

"Your friend struck one of my men!" the officer snapped. "Such is punishable by death!"

"He started it," Jack said smoothly. "All, the kid did was bump into the girl. It was an accident." The officer's glare didn't soften. Jack's gaze didn't waver. Riku saw Jack's hand settle softly on his belt beside his gun holster. Riku let his hands drop closer to the revolver tucked in his belt.

After several seconds of silent stares the officer turned to his soldier, still seething with rage. He whispered something into the soldiers' ear, to which he stiffened to attention and snapped "Jawohl!"

"So wie du warst," the officer announced as he turned and strode calmly back to his own table. The rest of the soldiers sat back down sullenly, resuming their drinking and conversations. The blonde soldier was still glaring at Riku, even as he roughly grabbed the red-head girl's wrist and jerked her down into a chair beside him.

"We're leaving," Jack grunted as he turned to lead the way out of the saloon. RIku grabbed his hat from the floor and followed with a sigh, feeling like he was being blamed for the whole thing. They made their way back to the wagon in silence and set off into the night.

Riku's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and saw they were following the same road that brought them there. "I didn't mean for that to happen," Riku said sullenly, feeling a father figure was frowning at him.

"I know, Riku," Jack sighed. "It's not your fault. Those Germans have been trouble since they got here."

"Germans?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, from Germany," Jack said, as if it should have been obvious. "They think they can just march all over everyone. And President Reyes seems content to let them. Word has it he's making a deal with them to help him keep his throne, or rather his office!" Jack grumbled. "They don't like us Americans much, they think we want in on their little war with France and England, you see."

Riku silently nodded, pretending to know what he was talking about. Something troubled him about what the officer had grumbled to the blonde soldier. He couldn't understand the language, but the icy coldness of his words sent chills down his spine.

"So who is Kairi?" Jack asked after an eternity of silence. Riku's eyes bulged and his face burned. "The girl you mistook the saloon girl for?"

"Just… A girl I grew up with…"

"Judging by how close your lips got to hers', I'd say she's a bit more than 'just a girl,'" Jack snickered.

"I… She… I don't think she feels that way about me," Riku sighed.

"She told you that?"

"No but… There's someone else." Riku's head slumped. He'd already said too much.

"I take it the other man is a friend of yours?" Jack asked, Riku nodded. "Well, don't give up! A lady is allowed to change her mind. Here's hoping Miranda changes her mind about what she's gonna do to me when we get home!" he finished with a laugh.

They rounded the bend and both stiffened as the house came into view. More soldiers, six of them. These were dressed in light khakis. The locals, Riku figured. But what were they doing here?

The six armed men turned defensively to the oncoming cart. Jack called out in their language and they seemed to relax a bit. Jack kept talking as he brought the horse to a stop at the roadside, Riku figured he was asking why there were here. The scream of a familiar voice interrupted the conversation.

"MIRANDA!" Jack roared, in the blink of an eye he'd drawn his pistol and shot all six soldiers. Riku's eyes widened at his speed. He reached for his own gun, then sighed as he realized all foes were down.

Jack leapt to the ground and charged for the cabin door. Riku, still shocked at how quickly things escalated, stumbled down from the cart and sprinted to catch up. Jack plowed through the door at top speed, splintering the flimsy wood off the hinges. Riku panted in after to see Jack leveling his pistol at a man in a flashy, ornate uniform. He had long black hair, a thick mustache, and an awkward smile as he stood up from the floor with his hands raised. Miranda struggled indignantly to her feet and slowly retreated behind her rescuers. Riku's eyes flared with realization and leveled his own gun at the villain.

"Hey, take it easy there, mi gringo amigo! I come in peace!"

"President Abraham Reyes!" Jack spat. "You have a strange way of coming to a man's house in peace!"

"Come on, amigo, can you really blame a man? Can you control yourself around such a prized flower? Besides she reminds me of her sister, Lupita!"

"LUISA!" Miranda hissed! "Who died believing she was your betrothed! And believing that you WOULDN'T become another tyrant!"

"Si, chica, I understand naiveté can be painful," Reyes soothed. "But we have more important business to discuss now! The future of Mexico! Senior Marston, you father was instrumental in helping me to conquer the tyranny of my predecessor and now I have come here to call upon you to follow in your father's footsteps in bringing about another glorious victory for the people of Mexico!"

Riku blinked at the braggart's long winded grandiose. After what he'd just been caught doing, what he lacked in honor he made up for with nerve! Jack sneered, no more convinced than Riku. "When you say, 'the people of Mexico' you really mean YOU, right?" Jack asked snidely.

Reyes gave a long chuckle. "Si, amigo! You are definitely your father's son! I have made some friends across the ocean, friends who can help me to reclaim what rightly belongs to Mexico! Steal back the land stolen from her people by the same venomous snakes who stole your father from you, amigo."

"Stop calling me that!" Jack snapped. "I'm not your amigo! And my father's death has been avenged. Your grievance with the federal government is no concern of mine."

Reyes blinked thoughtfully. "You really had enough, senior Marston?" he asked challengingly. "I heard about the death of Edgar Ross, on my sovereign soil, no less." Riku turned to Jack in question, his steely eyes gazed unblinking at Reyes. "Why stop with him though? The man was just a claw of the larger beast that you call the United States of America! Why should your father's killer die while the society which enabled him to do so for their own benefit goes unpunished?"

Jack's eyes darkened. "What I did, I didn't do for revenge. Otherwise I could have easily destroyed his home and family, like he did mine. I claimed the only justice I knew I would ever get for my father. And now it's done, and so am I, and you're getting your greasy ass out of my house before I count to," a mighty blow knocked Riku's world into darkness.

Miranda was screaming again as Riku's vision blurred back briefly. Jack was laying limp on the floor beside him. A figure in grey was dragging Miranda out the front door. "Gracius, amigo!" Reyes cheered. "You are just in time!"

"We had trouble with these ones back at the village," a familiar voice said. "My men and I allowed them a head start. When we heard the gunshots we galloped after them." Riku painfully turned his head to see the German army officer from the saloon standing over him. "I take it this was the man you wanted to recruit for our mission? I could have told you that wouldn't work, these two have a problem with authority," he frowned down at Jack and Riku.

"Well, what can you expect from gringos?" Reyes laughed. "No matter, they had their chance to join in the revolution, instead they choose to die like the rest. Your Kaiser shall have his new front, and Mexico will have her land back! Come, amigos! The night is cold and we have taken their only woman, build a nice fire to keep these chicos warm!" Reyes finished with a laugh, Riku didn't like the sound of that. He summoned the last of his strength to roll over, only to see a familiar pair of piercing blue eyes glaring down at him. Riku had no time to react as the blonde German's rifle butt struck his face.

Riku barely felt the crack of the wooden butt-stock against his nose. His world flashed in and out of darkness. Flames seemed to be dancing around him. A few blinks later and he saw that the walls were ablaze. Jack still laid motionless beside him.

"Riku! Get up!" a gruff voice echoed. "Riku! Your feet ain't nailed to the floor! Get up!" the voice seemed distant, but also very close. Riku blinked as the scarred man stood before him, barely visible through the thickening smoke. "Riku, you gotta save Jack! And you both gotta save Miranda and stop Reyes! Get outa there and get to Tesoro Azul!" the man vanished in the smoke, the choking bitterness assaulted Riku's nose as he sat up coughing violently.

He reached wildly for Jack in the blinding smoke. He felt the butt of his revolver and quickly looped it into his belt. Then his hand clenched Jacks coat. "JACK!" Riku coughed, barely understandably. No answer. He wasted no more breath, grappling the unconscious man and dragging him back in the direction he hoped the doorway was. Thankfully, he stumbled out of the smoke and into the night air. He silently thanked the forces of destiny that Jack had broken the door on the way in. The Germans probably didn't figure they'd wake up in time to save themselves. Riku almost hadn't!

Riku took a deep breath before stumbling back up and dragging Jack further away from the blazing inferno, stopping only once the heat stopped searing his flesh. Jack awoke in a spasm of coughs. He slowly grappled control of his breathing. Riku sighed with relief, without magic he had no way to heal him.

He looked up from his recovering friend to scan for foes. The bodies of the Mexican troops laid motionless where they fell, but the Germans and Reyes were long gone. Jack's cart stood horseless on the roadside, they must have stolen it to sell for money. Riku decided he didn't like this world very much.

Jack staggered to his feet and twirled around in confusion. Riku blinked as he realized this was the first he'd seen of Jack without his hat. He'd lost his own hat when the Germans knocked him out. "MIRANDA!" Jack bellowed in desperation.

"They took her," Riku grunted in disgust. Jack turned to him in question. "Reyes and the Germans, they knocked us out and left us there to burn! I saw them take Miranda, they took the horse too." Jacks face contorted in agony as he fell to his knees, his hands clasping his face in frustration. His fingers soon tightened into fists as he roared at the sky with fury and despair.

"I know where they've gone," Riku said after a moment of silence. Jack stared up wide-eyed. "I… I heard someone mention a place called Tesoro Azul," Riku said tactfully. Jacks eyes now blazed with recognition and a new spark of more hopeful fury. Without another spoken word he darted off into the night, Riku followed swiftly.

Remembering the direction of the sunset, Riku knew they were heading west. The pair of them trampled up the dusty hills, lit only by the moon and the stars. Both keen pairs of eyes kept watchful to dodge and leap past boulders and cacti. The howls and barks of wild canines echoed through the hills as they ran, both young men ignored them. They stalked more vicious beasts, human ones.

They followed the main road from the nearby hillside, watching warily for riders. Eventually the road forked as a dusty path led to the entrance of small, walled village. A lone rectangular fortress in a desolate, hostile, wilderness. "Tesoro Azul," Jack grunted as he crouched atop a hill about a hundred yards south of the village. Riku squinted to make out two helmeted figures guarding the east entrance.

"Make your way down there as quick and quietly as you can," Jack ordered softly. "Don't let them see you. When you hear a gunshot from the west gate, start shooting. Kick in the gate and we'll catch them in a crossfire."

"But you don't have a gun!" Riku gasped, realizing he hadn't had time to grab Jacks pistol on the way out of the house.

"I'll get one," Jack growled as he drew a very large knife from his belt. His eyes glowed with a darkness the likes of which Riku had only seen before in Ansem. Riku shook the comparison from his mind as his friend set off silently for the west gate. He couldn't blame him for wanting revenge. Riku clenched his fists as he began stalking toward the east gate, what he wouldn't have given for his magic, or at least his keyblade!

He pictured the carnage and havoc he could wreak upon the German warmongers for what they did to Jack and what he prayed they hadn't done to Miranda. Riku crept quiet as a mouse through the dry brush. As he approached he could hear the German troops grumbling about something or other. He gently flattened himself to the dirt as he spotted a roving watchman round the corner of the wall and wave to the gate guardsmen. The rover approached his comrades and held up a cigarette, one of them obligingly produced a lighter for him.

Riku felt the fire burning inside him as the Germans chuckled casually. For all he knew they were talking about Miranda. His seething heart wished more than ever for his keyblade. Riku drew his revolver and started crawling, slinking slowly through grass like a viper, listening keenly for the signal to strike. He stopped barely ten yards away from the unsuspecting guards, the rover was still smoking with the other two, oblivious to the lethal fury lurking so near.

"You're a natural with my old gun, kid," the voice of the scarred man softly echoed in his mind. "But you're gonna need my help. Just do what comes natural when hell breaks loose, I'll do the rest. I'm a dead-aim, kid." Riku only nodded, he felt a power emanating from the gun. A power almost as strong as a keyblade, maybe more.

The crack of a gunshot snapped the three soldiers out of their conversation. They turned in shock to the closed wooden gate behind them, one seized the initiative and shoved the gate open. The crouching keyblade-wielder sprang from the grass, thumbed back the hammer and took aim. Time seemed to slow and a coat of crimson red splashed over Riku's vision. He took aim for their heads, all three in a neat row. Then in the blink of an eye the red vanished from his sight and he fired the revolver three times in rapid succession.

Three metal helmets flew from their wearers heads. The flabbergasted soldiers spun around in wide-eyed shock to their attacker. Riku's eyes bulged too as he realized his mistake. With a gasped curse he rapidly fired thrice again, all three soldiers fell just as they shouldered their rifles with practiced uniformity. Riku stood over his victims in shocked awe, he thought they had him!

"Not bad for a city boy," the scarred man huffed in his head. "Next time aim for chest or neck." Riku rolled his eyes. Multiple gunshots split the air before he could reply the gunslinger ghost. At the other end of the village, Jack was firing two pistols, obviously stolen from the guards.

"YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" Jack roared. "I'M JACK MARSTON! JOHN MARSTON'S BOY!" he fired off several more shots as the Germans stumbled out of the adobe huts and wooden shacks of the village. Several poured out of a larger building in the middle, some kind of temple, Riku figured. Three or four Germans went down in a hail of bullets from screaming gunman. "I WAS RAISED BY THE WORST DAMN OUTLAWS IN THE WEST!"

"WE'LL KILL YOU AMERIKANIER SCHWINE!" a soldier barked firing his rifle at the adobe wall Jack had dodged behind. Several more bullets peppered the wall of the crumbling house. Then another burst of dual pistol shots downed a few more Germans as the rest dodged for cover. Jack had sprinted around the other side of the house, taking the soldiers bunched up near the temple by surprise.

"HUNS, THE PAPERS CALL YOU BOYS?" Jack laughed. "MORE LIKE NUNS!" Several guttural curses burst out with even more gunshots as the Germans returned fire. Jack dove for cover into another shack.

Riku quietly approached the small, waist high wall, bordering the temple from the road; where most of the Germans crouched for cover. He grinned darkly as he realized he might be able to get most of them at once. They kept firing at Jack, completely oblivious to him. Riku took aim and squeezed the trigger, then winced in disgust at the disappointing click of the empty weapon. "Another city slicker mistake!" John Marston laughed.

"You could have reminded me!" Riku snapped, to his instant regret. The Germans turned in surprise to fire frantically at the flanking foe. Riku tumbled backwards, certain he'd been shot again. He sighed with relief as the only pain he felt was his back against the rocky terrain.

Bullets whistled over Riku's head as he reloaded. Jack laid down covering fire from his shack, drawing their attention back to him. "WHAT THE HELL DID I SAY ABOUT RELOADING, RIKU?" Jacks snapped.

Riku rolled his eyes and sprang to his feet, summoning the strength he'd felt at the gate. Again red painted the world and time slowed to a crawl. At least half a dozen Germans were still lined up neatly against the wall, Riku aim right down the line, squeezed the trigger and began fanning the hammer with his free hand.

The red film snapped out of his eyes and time resumed as nine soldiers were riddled by six bullets, each passing through multiple men, guts and bones alike. Four more soldiers sprang from the temple, aiming at Riku. Jack sprang from his cover, firing wildly. All four fell in bloody heaps.

A sharp pain and a loud crack spun Riku around and toppled him to the dirt road before he could finish reloading. A young German officer stood in the doorway of the shack Riku had barely noticed on his left. Miranda squirmed helplessly in his grip, a pistol pressed against her skull. Riku ignored the fresh pain in his left arm took aim with his less painful right.

"Let her go!" Jack snapped, both pistols trained on the German's head.

"Would you risk killing, your woman?" he spat. "No matter, you won't stop us! The rest of the battalion is already preparing to embark. You're pathetic United States will fall! Germany will conquer," the soldier's grand speech was cut off by a pair of strong arms in black sleeves grappling his neck from behind.

Miranda dropped to her knees and quickly scampered over to Riku, Jack was at their side in an instant. The three of them watched in amazement as a man in a black suit strangled the flailing German. When the officer's strength faded, the man in the suit snapped his neck and dropped him in the dirt like a sack of potatoes.

The suited man lock eyes with Jack, he seemed to recognize him. "Jack Marston," he said. "I remember you."

"And I remember you, Agent Archer Fordham," Jack growled.


End file.
